~ where moms can let it out

Welcome to Venting Sessions

Some women train for a marathon or climb a mountain to escape the craziness of motherhood. I like to stress eat and vent with girlfriends. That’s why I’m launching this blog, Venting Sessions. To help other mothers feel like they’re not alone. Venting Sessions is a place moms can let it out and share our mommy ventings, experiences, jokes, whines, giggles and stories. (And swap fun recipes that fit into our hectic lives as opposed to unrealistic recipes that stress us out even more.)

I started this blog for mothers who aren’t afraid to admit that no matter how female relatives, friends, celebrities, talk show hosts and other women we look up to (but don’t know from Eve) make us feel, we know deep down that we aren’t perfect. And it’s OK. We are mothers. And holy schnikes, I know we didn’t start out this way. Many felt nauseous a few weeks after date night and months later ended up in the hospital wearing a maxi pad the size of Texas. (Holding a newborn that resembles ET’s little brother, of course.) God help us all. We love our kids. And they are so worth it. But for the love of Christina Applegate and Will Arnett, there’s nothing like venting with friends. From hosting a family reunion on three hours of sleep to dealing with other not-so-nice moms at the playground who have a knack for making the rest of us feel inadequate, venting to me is like a Dove Bar swimming in whipped cream. It’s how I get by. It’s how I keep going. Like free therapy, Venting Sessions is meant to be a place where moms can let it out without consequences. So swap those mommy stories, ventings, whines, giggles and easy recipes. Let your roots shine, girls. No perfect mommies allowed. (I’m psyched about launching this blog, but I can’t jump up and down too much. I haven’t been able to do this since having my second child. Please don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.)

Congrats Jackie on your blog launch! It is fabulous and funny… you in a nutshell.. The vision of you (not) jumping up & down brings back memories to our days running track & in particular, our post-meet McDonald playground celebrations. Let’s face it.. some of us have always been prone to peeing our pants! 🙂

Hi Jackie,
So excited for your new venture. I have been fortunate enough to find one or two friends that I know I can vent to without judgement. I feel extremely lucky! Believe me, in those times of crisis when I have vented to newly introduced Mom’s, the looks I’ve gotten speak volumes.
My biggest adjustment as a mom is learning to be confident in my new role. As an corporate executive I new what my role was, what was expected of me and how to manage my time. Introducing two kids into that equation had taken years to get use to. My mother told me my whole life to “Have a career before family”. She never explained how to have both.
I look forward to having your blog as a port in the storm of modern motherhood.
🙂

Elisa – Thanks! Right back ‘atcha. You are too much. I love that you justify your grammatical errors while riding the elliptical machine. Your comments are spoken from the heart of a true corporate-executive-turned-mom. I felt the same way. I knew how to be a pr professional, but then along came Cal and it was like, “Whoa”..then Sarah three years later and I felt another pang of, “Oh, boy, someone please tell me where the manual is to be a good mom!” I’m so excited to have you along for the ride. And I appreciate your patience as we work out all the design, grammatical and technological wrinkles. I’m planning to launch this as a Monday to Thursday blog – mommy hours. Stay tuned! – Jackie

Thanks, Leigh! I’m so happy to see you here. Thanks for joining me on this test run, and this journey of my Eff-it, I’m done putting this off another year project. You are one of those mothers I can count on to vent to without expecting anything in return except the most honest, taken-from-experience comments, along with a pound of sarcasm. And many giggles. I love that you don’t take life so seriously, yet you are passionate about so many things. A Mother among mothers. I’m psyched to tawwwk a lot of cawwfeeee with you, Leigh, and have some fun along the way.

Jackie, thanks for the forward to your blog. It looks like it is going to be a ton of fun. As a mother of 5 (aged 9-17) I have lost my mind and regained it a couple of times, mostly given up worrying about what other mothers think and am still holding on for the “ride”:)

Thanks, Heather! It’s been WAY too long. So good to hear from you. FIVE CHILDREN. Let me say it again: You are the mother of FIVE children. You are amazing. I LOVE that you have given up worrying about what other mothers think. I honestly think this is what caused me to lose my mind when my son was a baby/toddler. I got my game back on again after realizing other mothers who make me feel inadequate can kiss my behind. They are not living my life, I am. And what works for me and my kids, works for me and my kids. Amen sista!

Hey Jackie! So fun to connect in this way, as imperfect mothers!! I still think of you as my sister’s friend who helped torment me and you probably still think of me as the little twerp, but now we share this crazy world of motherhood and watch the dynamics of older/younger siblings unfold in our own homes! I had our first 3 children in 20 months so we call those days “Joyful Chaos” and I could fill a book with stories of imperfection, but we sure have fun surviving around here!! Love to you and I can’t wait to read on!!

Robye! You are so awesome. I never thought of you as a twerp, silly. I’ve known you since you were a gorgeous newborn and to tell you the truth, I always wanted a little sister. By the way, without you, your sister and your mother, I would never have survived those days in ballet, Sharkettes or gymnastics. Your mom gave me the best recital hair-do’s ever. She is still one of the most wonderful ladies I know. FOUR KIDS – You are the mother of four beautiful children. How the HECK do you do it??!!

Perri – You are a rock star, NOT OLD. This blog is not just for new mothers or mothers of small children, it’s for ALL MOTHERS. We’re in this together! And you are still a youngin, my friend. My grandmother used to say that motherhood is a lifetime sentence. She meant it in the best way…I think ;). Although we wish we could skip the teen years & other not so pretty times, it’s all about the ride.For life. (Kinda like that Miley Cyrus song we used to sing a couple years back.) My line of thinking is, as long as we’re on the same ride, why not have some fun chit-chatting, venting, and connecting with other moms so we can feel a little less insane. This blog is NOT meant to be a typical utopian “Learn How to Be a Perfect Mom” online source, but more of a “Can You Believe What My Kids Did Today?” and even more of a “Holy Crap, Do I Have a Funny Story to Share” online stop.

Yeay Jackie! This is awesome. Finally a network of women who get it! I’m surrounded by those “perfect moms” here in CT. Example: I got the “eew” face from them this morning at the playground when I admitted how much I missed being able to poop and shower in peace. Clearly their kids never come into the bathroom and they never go #2. BTW – Up All Night is our new favorite show too! So look forward to reading more.

Those mommies probably haven’t had a carb since 2008 either. The bathroom used to be the ONLY place where I could go to escape, but then my son transformed into a clever little toddler who would walk in unannounced…and I knew it was over. Be patient. You’ll have privacy again when he turns 6.